REVIEW

Tommy Walker - I Have A Hope
Maranatha Records, Released 3/18/2008

Tommy Walker is no stranger to most worship leaders. For years, he's been the white, West Coast guitar player who writes funky worship/gospel numbers and is backed some of California's finest studio musicians and singers.

Walker showed up on most of our radars with his song "He Knows My Name." Walker is renowned for his jazz and R&B tinged live worship albums and his songs are widely embraced by worship programs attempting to blend jazz and gospel into their current-day worship setup.

However, all of those die-hard Walker fans better get ready, because I Have A Hope is whole new thing.

What's different? First off, it's a studio album. Secondly, it's produced by Ed Cash, a fine artist in his own right, now mostly known for his production success with Chris Tomlin. Third...well, because it's different.

WHAT WORKS
There are a lot of things that work here. First off, the studio element clears away some of the clutter of Walker's live jams. The songs are a bit more sparse, leaving room to hear the really amazing musical underpinnings. I also like that the music has come slightly closer to the mainstream. Walker's gospely-vibe is still there, heard mainly in the vocal jam ending of the record's standout track, "I Have A Hope," and in the closing "Holy Spirit Come." But the other tunes are different. Both "Hallelujah, We Will Sing" and "In The Light Of Your Glory" are both beautiful piano pieces that seem a bit more simple melodically. The rock tunes are great, from the Tomlin/Cash formula in "Do It, Lord" and the nice jangly "Pass It On" to the hyper-funky "Your Love," Walker and band bring their expert hands to pop and rock.

Lyrically, most of the songs are superb. There's a little too much repetition in a few tracks ("I believe, I believe, I believe in Jesus" and "Do it, Lord; Do it, Lord,") but the other songs are written so well that nobody's gonna' be thinking about those elements. Most of the tunes seem to be in singable keys, although I've yet to pull out my guitar and test any of them.

I also think that I Have A Hope is a really solid collection of songs. There's nothing more frustrating than picking up a new worship album and finding two good songs, is there? That's why I love this record. The songs have their challenges, sure, but I get excited at hearing stuff that is so good and yet so different from what my team and I tend to use in our church. The possibilities on this record excite me.

WHAT DOESN'T
In addition to some of the repetition issues, the big obstacle here in musical prowess. I've been trying to figure out what sort of proficiency an average church praise team needs to have to pull off these tunes, and I'm getting upset thinking about it.

These songs definitely require a rock solid rhythm section. Without a drummer and bassist who understand groove and don't mind getting funky, the songs are gonna' fal flat. The other undeniable element is keys. Without somebody adept at piano, Hammond and rhodes, some of these songs just aren't going to fly. I think it's also important to seperate which of these songs are "fun to listen to" and which ones are "this will work in the service." It's a hard thing - sometimes we love songs so much (too much) that we force them into our setlists without even realizing that they might not work.

WRAP UP
Most of this record is phenomenal, and the part that isn't ends up being a guilty pleasure. Some of the more gospel-stuff is so out there that I would never even try to use it...but it's fun to listen to!

I'd suggest that worship leaders buy this record for a couple of reasons:
1. 4-5 possible tunes for almost any "contemporary" worship service.

2. This could end up being a landmark album in modern worship - I think it could possibly rank up there with Baloche or Tomlin in this regard. It's so different, and so well done that you won't regret picking it up.

3. Great production work, which always helps us in our arranging (or lack thereof.)

This review was written by Todd Wright.